Kissito Healthcare Mentioned in White Paper Regarding Bundled Payments

While bundled payments is not a new concept in the discussion of healthcare reform, it found its way back to the front burner in December 2008 when the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) proposed new ways to reduce federal healthcare spending to the House and the Senate.

Introduced nearly 30 years ago, bundled payments would essentially provide one payment to Acute Care Hospitals (ACHs) for both acute and post acute services and allow the ACH to determine the amount of post acute care a patient needs and the most cost effective care provider. Under this scenario, the CBO estimates a $0.7 billion reduction in federal outlays between 2010 and 2014 and by 2019 they estimate a reduction of almost $19 billion.

The reintroduction of the concept raises many questions for ACHs, long term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) and how they will be reimbursed for treating Medicare recipients. Also questioning this potential manner of reform are the lawmakers.

In a recent white paper entitled “To Bundle or Not To Bundle: Lawmakers Explore the Question,” released by three attorneys at McGuire Woods, LLP, Jason S. Greis, R. Brent Rawlings, and J. Brian Jackson explore the questions that the implementation of bundled payments raise. The three comprehensively explain the concept, its history, and how it would affect the various types of acute and post acute facilities from the time of implementation through 2019 when the reform measure will reach the outcome envisioned by the CBO.

They further investigate the questions industry leaders are raising, the pros and cons of the option and what companies are doing now in preparation for the proposed legislation. An interview with Tom Clarke, President & CEO of Kissito Healthcare resulted in the explanation that “[s]ome organizations have already begun planning for the bundling trend by creating integrated post-acute care and senior living campuses with a full array or long-term care services, or by developing post-acute care facilities capable of catering to more acutely ill patients in more cost-effective settings.” Kissito Post Acute is one of said organizations in that its “SNF facilities provide ventilator weaning programs, which are commonly found in LTACHs, while achieving comparable clinical outcomes and Medicare costs savings.”

Kissito Post Acute, a division of Kissito Healthcare, prides itself on remaining patient-centered and physician-driven. Existing for the care and betterment of human life, Kissito Post Acute realizes the current paths patients take from hospital to home and redefines that, attempting to eliminate many of the unnecessary trips to various types of facilities. Their Collaborative Patient Care Model™ fosters the best environment for successful outcomes. This unique, industry-leading approach involves partners in a cohesive team that enables patients to return to their lives and function at the highest level.